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Dangerous dip

BRITISH farmers who use a new form of sheep dip that is hundreds of times
more deadly to aquatic life than previous formulations could face fines of up to
£20 000 if they allow the chemical to seep into rivers.

Most farmers are replacing organophosphates, which pose health risks to farm
workers, with synthetic pyrethroids, which are safer to handle but can cause
serious damage to river life. But now the Environment Agency, Britain’s
pollution watchdog, has decided to clamp down on their use. This follows a
significant increase in discoveries of cypermethrin, one of the most toxic forms
of synthetic pyrethroid, in rivers and a series of leaks that have killed vast
numbers of aquatic invertebrates (This Week, 11 January, p 4).

The agency will conduct biological surveys of river insects this summer to
measure the extent of the problem.